


Burgundy and Blue

by anothersilentwriter



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Blue Spirit - Freeform, F/M, Painted Lady - Freeform, Some Fluff, They meet in Season 2 because why not, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zutara, vigilantes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24410998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothersilentwriter/pseuds/anothersilentwriter
Summary: Zuko didn't know who she was until it was too late.He wanted so desperately to believe in something, anything. His whole life had been centered around destiny and honor, and always something bigger than him that he was just comfortable being around a spirit stronger than him. But to find out his new source of hope at his lowest point was nothing more than a girl, well he was disappointed.But he learns that it isn't too bad.
Relationships: Blue Spirit/Painted Lady, Katara/Zuko (Avatar), The Painted Lady/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 360





	Burgundy and Blue

Zuko didn't know who she was until it was too late.

They meet between cities, hearing stories of each other, and the other abilities. At first, he was convinced that she was in fact, the Painted Lady. Because how else could she glide in the air seamlessly her robes flowing behind her like the red of a setting sun? How else could she make mist appear around her without nothing surrounding her? How else could she heal the sick in the cities she meets with nothing more than a hand on their cheek and a touch? How else could she force men to the ground with nothing but the sheer power of her will and determination? 

How could Zuko have known that she wasn't anything but a spirit coming to aid him on his side journey to attempt to right his wrongs? Even though, looking back on it, she really truly was a spirit, more powerful even considering he knows who she is.

It's ironic really, that she finds him first. 

It's the very first shattering piece of purple in the sky, coming to take the place of the orange, red, pink, and bright blue hues. The sun is setting, and the moon has begun her journey of making her path through the sky. When she finds him he's in a position where he can't really fight back. 

There are eighteen hired arms surrounding him, and he's trying to save a rich family of four from them. Normally, he is against these "rich" people, but he knows from first-hand encounters that out of the many villages in the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation, that they are one of the good ones. They hire the poor and the dirty, offer them a home in their houses and food from their many gardens. They pay for medicine to those who can't afford it, and once while traveling as Lee, they offered him a place to stay. Zuko couldn't say no since he was tired and hungry and the driving forces of basic human needs pushed him into accepting the offer. They forced him to eat with them, and for once they forced him into being in a family role. And when he left the next day, they sent him off with a bag of food and pouches of water and an invitation to return. He likes these people, and he doesn't want them to get hurt. 

But it seems to be that he is failing miserably because the disgusting thug who preys on the poor has decided to try and kill this family. And while he can take a good number of them on his own, he was afraid to say eighteen backed against the wall was nine too many for him to handle. 

Swords drawn and mask covering his face, he stood against the thugs ready to slice whoever dared came near. But he was tired, and there were too many. 

_And then she arrived._

In the light of the full moon, and the mist surrounding her she came upon them like a goddess. The Painted Lady was able to send men flying with nothing more than flicks of her hand. One man down, and another and another. And that gave him an opening to strike. 

While the mist was upon him, he found two men and sliced his swords across their armor and used his elbow to knock them out cold. Another ran up to him with a club and he cut the club in half with his right sword and thrust his left into the man's thigh. Gruesome and painful, but he wasn't dead.

They continued this, for how long he isn't sure. But he knows that between the two of them all men are on the ground, and the family is safe. 

"Go home," The Painted Lady had said, her voice holding a different quality to it, an accent that he couldn't quite place but sounded very vaguely familiar. "We'll watch you on the way back." 

The father's lips trembled, and he soon came to a bow. "Thank you, Painted Lady." 

He turned to Zuko, "Thank you, Blue Spirit." 

The next day in the village is how the spirits have come back and have been awakened. Legends and myths have become reality. That wherever the Blue Spirit is the Painted Lady always follows, and sometimes the myths would say that they would find each other. 

They meet a few times after that. 

She doesn't talk to him, and he assumes because she is a spirit, and he a mortal who is attempting to be good. But he's okay with that because despite being a spirit he doesn't mind being around her. Zuko was never religious, nobody would ever be accused of calling him a pious man, but he did respect the spirits and the world. And he did respect her. 

He finds out that she's not a mortal when he sees her yelling "Fucking hell, why the goddamn rain..." And other various curses that he must admit made him feel guilty for hearing. She was gripping her hat, and he could tell by the red and purple on her hands that it was indeed painted dripping down her hands. 

He was disappointed then.

He wanted so desperately to believe in something, anything. His whole life had been centered around destiny and honor, and always something bigger than him that he was just comfortable being around a spirit stronger than him. But to find out his new source of hope at his lowest point was nothing more than a girl, a mortal being just like him...it was hard news to accept, but over time he found that it made his hope that he stored within her stronger. 

He makes a mistake in Ba Sing Se, and his brain was ignoring the fact that his hope and his possible redemption were one and the same. His brain was ignoring it so much so that he couldn't realize the similarities in their accents. And maybe, just maybe if he realized then he wouldn't have had blue eyes haunting him for the majority of his nights returning to the capital of the Fire Nation. Ocean eyes of regret and hope, staring into his soul and possibly drowning him. 

He finds her again in a fishing village, the Blue Spirit was working on a way to get rid of the factory and Prince Zuko looking to reconnect with his roots in a country he didn't recognize anymore. He saw her thereafter she blew up the factory, he was helping bring medicine to those who needed it even though many of them had miraculously gotten better seemingly overnight. 

He looked through a window and there she was, kneeling near a boy's mother, reassuring her that her son would be okay. He waited until she left and managed to corner her and show who he was, and surprisingly enough at seeing the mask she smiled at him. 

"Blue," She had said, "It's been a while since I've seen you." 

He nodded back at her.

"Find me again in the next three towns over." 

And so he did. 

And they repeated this pattern, her telling him about herself little things every time they met. One new fact with every bad guy they took down. He knew her favorite tea, favorite color, her mother was gone, her father fighting. He knew so many things about her and he didn't mind knowing his heart skipping a beat or two with every new fact that he learned about the so-called spirit. 

Ocean eyes still haunted him at night but, memories of a veiled girl helped him escape. 

Together they helped each other, her saving his life more times than he could count. Eventually, he came to realize that if it wasn't for this Painted Lady, he would be dead nine lifetimes over. He made a promise to himself that if he ever came to learn her identity, and who she is, that he would promise his life to hers. He would spend the rest of whatever time in this world protecting her and if she refused it, he would at least try and be her friend.

He learned who she was after a despicable firebender who would terrorize orphans and try and hurt young girls. Zuko had never firebended as the blue spirit, but the Painted Lady had been burned and passed out and he- 

He wasn't quite sure what had happened, but his anger went through the roof. It seemed that then Agni had decided to bless him with raw power, as he took down the firebender with flames that burned hotter than anything he has ever conjured up before. 

He didn't know where to take her, so he took her into the woods near a stream and for the next four hours into the night worried about her life. He took out his emergency stash of band-aids, and burn creams and placed them gently placed them all along her abdomen where she was burned (the cloth had long since become ash). It would scar her left side, a big red and ugly mark that would forever stain her. He never removed her veil though, he didn't want to ruin the understanding and friendship that they had by breaking her trust. 

He felt guilty, he could have stopped it earlier. If he had let her know that he was a firebender than maybe, maybe she would be okay. But he couldn't do anything, but wait it out with an anxious heart. Every thirty minutes he placed new cream on her abdomen. 

It was the fifth hour that she woke up, she croaked out one word, "Water." 

Her voice was so weak and broken, and fragile. _Anything_ , he thinks, _he would have gotten her anything_. Something inside him broke, the same part of him that cracked when the water tribe girl touched his scar, the first time that fingers that weren't his to ever reach the mark that labeled him. He rushed to the stream, filling two cups of water and handing it to her. 

She doesn't even speak to him as she stares at the water, but her hands do this weird motion and suddenly the water is lifting out of his cups and around her hands, and he lets out a gasp. _No_ , he thought, it couldn't be her. It can't be. 

And as the water coated her hands, like a second glowing skin and he watched in awe and terror as the skin grew itself back together, slowly but surely. The Painted Lady- he refused to even think about the possibility of it being her- grunted in pain, and let out a collection of curses while the burns on her skin became normal again. It must have been painful, he wondered, because his Uncle normally said that the healers normally put the wounded asleep. 

Zuko watched as the only remnant left on her skin was a slightly pink mark. 

It was amazing, she was amazing. 

_Blue eyes meeting his, calloused fingers ghosting his face, a smile with determination, a person willing to believe in him..._

And he gave that up.

If Zuko wasn't pretending to be a spirit he would have cursed himself. 

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a hat hitting the ground, the veil swiftly falling with it. "Thank, you." 

He looked up at her, thankful that his mask was able to cover all the emotions that were swirling through him. He nodded. 

"I'm a waterbender." She admits, her head still tilted downwards. He wants to ask why, why would a waterbender be helping the Fire Nation? Why would somebody as kind as she, be helping the people that hurt her? But then he remembers that she once offered to help him. "I have healing abilities too." 

And then he wants to lose his mind. 

Because how could he have not noticed that it was her. 

It was the same girl. 

The damned spirits were playing tricks on him, laughing at him from their view in the spirit world. Of course, his damned luck would have it be her. Of course, it would be her. He knows her name, but he doesn't want to say her name- not yet.

He doesn't want to admit it.

Because maybe if he doesn't say her name, and he doesn't see her eyes then he could go back to lying to himself and convincing himself that the two girls aren't the same. That maybe the girl he associated with blue clothes and eyes, would not become the girl who wore burgundy dresses.

But then she lifts her head up, the veil is gone so he can see the brown color of her skin and the swirls that were now smudged. And she looks at him, with those eyes and it takes all of his self-control not to throw the mask down and beg for her forgiveness.

He wants to beg for her forgiveness, apologize for his sins, thank her for his life. 

But he also wishes that it was somebody else's face underneath the mask, so that way if he did throw it down she wouldn't be disappointed. That maybe she would like the boy masquerading to be a hero when really he was just a coward hidden behind a sturdy piece of painted wood. 

"You saved my life," She says, sitting up despite the pain. And he can't help himself, he rushes for her side easing her into a more comfortable sitting position. "I owe you." 

_No, you don't._

_You don't owe me anything._

_Katara you owe me nothing._

But he doesn't say this, instead, he just takes the hand that somehow ended up in his (when did her hand end up in his?) and squeezes it reassuringly. Zuko wishes that all the things he is feeling and wishes he can say are being understood. 

"My name is Katara." 

He nods his head and then squeezes her hand again. _I know._

"You know?" 

She looks surprised but then gives him a small smile. "Well, you won't tell anyone won't you?" 

He nods his head again, _I'll keep you safe or I'll be there for you._

"I'm going to have to leave now."

His heart drops, but he helps her get back on her feet. He hands her more bandages and gives her the last of his burn cream, even when she raises a brow and at him and asks him if he's sure he doesn't need it. She thinks it is sweet, how she cares about him, but he also knows that if she were to find out who he was she wouldn't like him as much. 

She's about to leave. Hat in hand. Dress torn. Bandages around her stomach. Paint smudged. Burgundy and blue. She looks at him again, this is normally where she tells him the next town. But something is different, and maybe it is because he can see her face this time instead of a veil. Something liquid hits the ground. 

She's crying. 

"Caldera." She says, "But you won't see me there, so don't, don't come and find me. And I-" She chokes on a sob, "I hopefully won't have to come back to the Fire Nation after." 

And then it hits him, the Day of the Black Sun. 

She's going to be at the invasion, but she won't be there as the Painted Lady, she'll be there as Katara the water bending master. And the thought sends a shudder down his spine, she'll be in his city- his home in less than three months.

She turns around to head to leave, but then suddenly drops everything in her arms. Her arms are around him, and he's shocked to say at how he doesn't mind. "I'll miss you Blue."

He hugs her tighter, _I'll miss you too_.

"It will be the last time I see you." 

Behind the mask, he smiles and taps her shoulder in the way his mom used to before trips to the other islands of the Fire Nation on meetings. Two taps on the left, and three on the right. _I'll see you again._

She looked up at him, slightly puzzled but gave him a sad smile anyways. 

"I hope we meet again Blue."

When he returns to Caldera, he knows his destiny and he doesn't fight it. This time his destiny isn't something he is forced to do, he chooses to do this and it feels _right_. Because she helped teach him honor isn't taken away by a person, it is giving back to other people. He's ready. 

"Why did you come here?" She asks one day, sitting down next to him. It's similar to the day she grabbed his hand, and he wonders if the scar is still there. "What made you change your mind?" 

There isn't any anger or insinuation in her question, just the glimmer of curiosity. 

He smiles, "A person." 

She tilts her head, "A person?" 

He nods. 

"Who?" 

"Well, they told me their name once but it didn't really matter, I knew who they were anyway," He says, and sends a silent prayer to Agni that she won't kill him. 

"Well..." She begins, "Are you going to tell me?" 

"It was a person who helped people. We met more than once but they gave me the chance to be somebody else, they helped me realize who I really was." He answers honestly, "They were an amazing person, and I really admired them." 

"Was it a girl?" She questions, she obnoxiously starts to whisper loudly, "Did you like her?" 

He turns red, "Yes, I did, but she gave me the silliest nickname." 

"What was it?" 

"Blue."

**Author's Note:**

> I was just going through some old stuff on my laptop and I found this, and then realized I already posted it on a Zutara month thing, but honestly I like it too much for it to be part of a collection and I decided it will become its own work.


End file.
